The Second of His Name
by DarthVexusII
Summary: After the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, the Sith seemed to have been crushed. At least, the Jedi thought the Sith were finally gone. In reality, they plotted, in the shadows, hiding, waiting. But, that did not mean they were sitting idly by. On the contrary, some Sith contributed to the eventual rise of Sidious, and the downfall of the Republic.
1. Prologue

MZX32905, Asteriod B11X04, Jonex Mine Eight Eleven B; also known as The Home.

727 Before the Battle of Yavin.

Asteroid B11X04 has been, since a long, long time, home to the Jonex Mine Corporation. Mine Eight Eleven B was just a normal asteroid mining colony for just as long, until Roh Vagos became the colony's administrator in 768 BBY. At first, profits doubled, his employees worked gladly for him and everything seemed to go well, but due to the asteroid's suffusion with the Dark Side of the Force, the employees descended into insanity. Some miners experienced visions, strange abilities and began to behave like a species that had been living in the asteroid for more over centuries ago. The rest of the miners became so insane that they killed each other, or themselves. Roh Vagos experienced the influence of the Dark Side as well, but he seemed to be able to cope with its power. He studied the Dark Side and all its aspects, while in the meantime he did his best to hide all happenings inside the mining facility from the outside world.

Roh Vagos later departed on a journey, seeking out a master whom could teach him further in the ways of the Dark Side of the Force. All of his employees had died, or had gone mad to the point that they couldn't work anymore. His 'mismanagement' had caused the mining facility to be shut down, and by monetary or more persuasive means, Vagos achieved certain individuals to turn a blind eye on the situation. Roh Vagos searched the galaxy for over three years for a master, and he found one. How long he studied under his master is not known, but twenty years after he left Mine Eight Eleven B, he returned. There, within the asteroid, he built a mansion. He lived there for the remaining years of his life, surrounded by family and friends, in secrecy, as Dark Lord of the Sith. Darth Vectivus, he was a Sith unlike any other Sith. He did not long for power or violence, unlike his master, or the eradication of the Sith. He instead only wished to study, bolster his own skills and live a life of peace.

Vagos aged, reaching the age of 71. As he looked back on his life, he could be content. His accomplishments were many, his skill was great. Dozens of Force Phantoms he could summon, without too much effort. There was one problem he had to face though, a tiny problem that needed solving…


	2. Relic

" _I'm old… so very old already…"_

Dull eyes look through one of the many windows of the mansion he called The Home. It wasn't a name he came up with himself, it was a name used centuries ago by the asteroid's previous inhabitants. Looking out the window, the old man could see the planet Bimmiel, far away. How much he despised and loved that planet. He despised it for its beauty from up his home, and loved it for the harsh conditions on the planet itself. Even though he could withstand the influence of the Dark Side, which would drive him to violence and lust for power, he did change a little, became a little more violent. Luckily, he hadn't changed as much to the suspicion of his family and friends. Not that it mattered now, most of his friends were dead, and his family has been thinned out as well.

" _We've still got Ghal, Jo and Frey, the rest died on me."_

Pondering on his family, the man slowly turned around. His eyes gazed on his very soft looking bed, that bed where he was lying not so long ago, ill and weak. It made him remember.

" _I need to go. I need it."_

Slowly, the man doddered through his bedroom. The large, dark room was filled by iron statues, each one of them having a story and a special significance to the Dark Lord. Some were the likes of his brother and sister, whom passed away not so long ago. His father and mother, friends, even business partners were among those depicted as statues. The abundance of iron and the even greater amount of time, made it possible for Vagos to sculpture his loved ones.

" _They must be remembered, always,"_ was the thought behind all this. It was the decision Vagos made when his father died.

The doors opened automatically, Vagos, leaning against the wall, proceeded to hobble down the gallery, which was a piece of art on its own, down the stairs. The main hall led to the hangar, but before Vagos reached it, he gestured his hand towards a rack. Without any effort, using the Force, a cane and a black cloak, flowed into his hands. Leaning on the cane, cladding himself in the black cloak, the Sith Lord continued his slow walk towards the hangar, where his ship was waiting. Even though Mine Eight Eleven B had shut down long ago, Roh Vagos still owned a Jonex Mine Corporation ship. It was not a great or luxurious ship, but it was all Vagos needed. He sat down, in front of the controls.

" _Where to go…? Where does one find one… Outer Rim? No, Core Worlds? Yes, but dangerous. Many Jedi there… Can mask myself, no? Yes, but a gamble nevertheless. Must go!"_

The hangar depressurized, the doors opened. Vagos counted down in his mind from ten to one. The engines started with a blast of fire coming from the main thruster. In space, Vagos looked back for one more time at his home, then proceeded to enter hyperspace. His old bones screamed as he pulled the handle back, Vagos bit through his pain, trying to ignore it. In hyperspace, he rubbed his sore arm. He was shocked to find out his skin had gone completely pale. He hadn't been paying attention to his appearance since he had been ill. He still wondered how he could have gotten ill, no one had come to visit him in the last few months, he hadn't been in the outside world for years and he hadn't changed his diet as well. Corruption crossed his mind, but he shook that off. He was too resilient to be corrupted by the Dark Side. He knew that his body was giving up upon him, but mentally… he had never been so strong. Due to his illness, Vagos had lost a lot of weight. He used to be a bit stout, but now he looked more like a walking skeleton. His face had changed as well, it showed a lot more wrinkles than before. They framed his yellow eyes, the sign that Vagos was a Sith Lord. Even though his sight was deteriorating and his eyes were looking dull more and more often, sometimes they would light up, fire would burn in his eyes, they would look more golden than yellow at such moments. At such moments, his eyes could be seen from under the shadow cast by the black hooded cloak he was wearing. Underneath the cloak, Vagos wore a black suit, the suits he liked to wear when he still was a businessman. He still liked to wear them. Now on his last mission, he wore a suit again. This last mission, a mission that must succeed in order to ensure the continued existence of the Sith as an order, had a simple goal, but was so complex to execute. He had postponed this mission for so long, but now he must fulfill it: finding an apprentice, the danger for every Sith Lord. It had been Vagos' tactic however, postponing it for so long. Once an apprentice feels he has learned everything from his master, he will kill the master, or try to do so. Vagos didn't feel much like dying, so that is why he didn't train an apprentice for so long. Without an apprentice however, the Sith Order would cease to exist. Vagos, took his disease as a sign, a signal from the Sith Lords of old to start the training of an apprentice, because the end of his life was nearing. He swore to do so, lying sick in his bed, old as he was, if he was to survive. Thus he was on his journey to the Core Worlds, seeking a worthy apprentice. He thought back to his own apprenticeship under his master and how he eventually killed his master. Unlike a lot of Sith Lords from the past, he killed his master without backstabbing or scheming. He challenged his master and defeated her; above all, he withstood his master when she tried to take control of his body.

" _Now where should I go… Coruscant? Corellia? Selonia…?"_

He sat immobile, pondering on his options.

" _Or go back to the Outer Rim, to Muunilinst?"_

He shook his head, grumbling out of anger. He was irritated by the fact he couldn't choose where to go. The Force wasn't giving him a clear message. He used to be so closely connected with the Force that he could feel what the answer was to his questions, but now he had one dire question, he didn't receive anything at all. It annoyed, no it angered him. He dedicated his life to study the Force, to strengthen the connection he established with the Force when he started to experience the Dark Side. He even had to defy his former master, who grew concerned about the way he viewed the Force and handled it.

"The Force is a weapon at your disposal Vectivus!" she scolded when Vagos told her about his theories on the Force and how to use it. It was the way the Sith saw the Force, as a weapon to achieve the goals set by a Sith Lord. It was expected from a Sith to carry the Force, unlike a Jedi, who was expected to be carried by the Force. Fact is, as history often showed, that both expectations could sometimes not be met. Some Sith had Jedi-like relations with the Force, some Jedi had Sith-like relations to the Force, it sometimes resulted into turning from Dark to Light, or the other way around. It was that fact that made Vectivus realize that maybe both previous Sith and Jedi had been wrong about what one's relation to the Force should be. That is why Vectivus viewed the Force more like a friend, a partner, a supportive entity in his actions, well, the Dark Side that is. The Light Side of the Force, he viewed as an enemy on its own. He viewed not the Jedi as the ultimate enemy, but the Light Side of the Force. Even though he viewed the Force as a partner, it was a partner to be manipulated. In that way it functioned as a weapon, but was not a weapon itself. That thought was something he had tried to explain earlier in his holocron, but he refrained from doing so, not having totally figured his theory out for himself. It is why he resented his former master. His master should have functioned, in his perspective, as someone to elaborate on the thoughts of her apprentice in order to persuade him otherwise, or to explain why that thought occurred in his mind and explain its meaning. Instead he was always met with the same rant of how one should carry the Force and use it as a weapon. It is not that she was a bad master. She was just a bad thinker, she was more like a doer, no questions asked. Sith philosophy didn't really develop under her rule, she dedicated herself to what she called more 'practical' matters. She was always drilling herself, and her apprentice, focusing all her energy on improving her skills with a lightsaber. She believed she would never die as long as she could best every living soul in the universe in lightsaber combat. It was a belief Vectivus questioned often, usually angering his master. Not long, however, before she came to her… unfortunate end, she explained her belief to her apprentice. She said that as long as she would carry the Force as her source of life, she would, like the Force, never cease to exist. The only possible way she could come to her end, she therefore believed, was to be violently slain. It is why she never slept; it is why she never allowed herself to be caught off-guard. Even though Vectivus understood her view, and at first thought it to be the right view, thus discouraging him from his initial plan to kill his master, since it would be futile anyway to oppose such a lightsaber goddess, he started to find flaws in both her theory and her 'practical' ways. The latter would prove to be her undoing a few months later.

Her final words came to Vectivus' mind. It was proof of how little his master had learned from her defeat by her apprentice's hand. Still holding on to her stubborn belief that practicality must go before everything else. It is true that she had defeated, killed and succeeded one of the greatest Sith Lords of all time due to her practicality, but the way she took it to the extreme proved to be unwise and… unpractical. In her determination to become an undefeatable opponent in lightsaber combat, she overlooked her apprentice's strengths. Even though she despised Vectivus' view on the Force, it proved to be an effective way for him to grow more powerful in the Force. Due to her stubborn views on the Force, she ignored his obvious explosive growth. While Vectivus became more and more knowledgeable, she started to ignore her own Force Powers, allowing them to deteriorate. She made herself become an easy target; the more she tried to become an invincible being. A few months after having their conversation about immortality and invincibility, Vectivus felt confident enough to defy his master for the last time, to fulfill his destiny. Her reddish eyes, hued gold, assumed the likeness of numerous ignited lightsabers, her anger taking the energetic proportions of several exploding stars, her pride assuming the same stature. Her apprentice trying to overthrow her indicated she had successfully done her job as master, her death would prove she had fulfilled her destiny as Sith Lord in the lineage of Darth Bane. Yet that moment of total satisfaction suddenly became so very paradoxical. A Sith can only be successful in Bane's lineage if he or she were to die at the hand of his or her apprentice, proving successful training and the ensured continuation of Bane's line. Yet the ultimate goal of the Sith, besides ridding the galaxy of the Jedi Order, is to achieve immortality. To achieve immortality would mean failing at successfully training an apprentice, but successfully training an apprentice would lead to one's own demise. Essence Transfer came to mind, but was followed by the realization that she was not near powerful enough to penetrate the mind of her apprentice. She had to count on her superior lightsaber skills, even though she knew this fight was already lost. She saw it, her death; her death at the hand of Vectivus, her apprentice.

Vectivus' thoughts jumped back to reality, how long he had been sunken into thoughts, he didn't know. He noticed though that he had already left hyperspace, but not at the coordinates he had previously entered. He looked into space, in front of his ship, not too far away a planet loomed up, a planet Vectivus recognized. He smirked, the Force had, without him noticing, led him to this place.

" _Time to find an apprentice…_ "


	3. Arrival

In the wake of the night, as starlight twinkled high in the skies, growing ever more faint like little flames withering without the oxygen needed to keep them aflame, the earliest sunbeams of morning fell over the rolling hills surrounding Mytoro, a quiet, peaceful village. The village, mostly a farmer's village, with the exception of one family, slowly woke as the sunlight started to fill the dark streets. A certain family, the sole family that wasn't involved in farming, lived in a large manor at the far end of the village, north of the village center. The manor was walled, in order to keep the, in comparison to the rich family, poor farmers outside of their private domain. Within the walls, beautiful gardens decorated the white house, its windows were blinded, allowing the people inside to look outwards, but not the other way around; all of it was in line with the wishes of the inhabitants, the Chron family. Yrus Chron had, in keeping with family tradition, served the House of Organa his entire life, as they had been a small house under the protection of the House of Organa. As reward for his service, Yrus received the manor in Mytoro. Over the course of many centuries, the Chron family kept serving the Organas, now as the supervisors of the small farmer village. Over time, the Chron family started to develop some unhealthy pretentions, nearly resulting in a feud between the Organas and the Chrons. Yroo Chron was able to avert a conflict, but the Organas would hold a grudge against the Chrons.

But that was a long time ago, more than five generations. All what remained from that time was the strained relation between the Chrons and Organas, who had revoked their protection of the Chron family. But the Chrons didn't need that protection anymore, or so they thought, as they didn't involve themselves in politics anymore, keeping to Mytoro and hardly ever leaving the area. Ylo Chron, the patriarch of the family, would visit Coruscant on rare occasions, to be updated on the food supplies of the planet-city, as even though a rift remained between House Organa and Chron, Mytoro was able to provide a lot of food for Coruscant if need be.

Due to Yroo's doings, Ylo had nothing to really worry about, aside from the troubles of everyday life. As his family was safe in its isolation, and his bloodline was secure through his young son, the Chrons would at least remain for another century, and he and his wife were still in good health. Fourteen years earlier, that had been different. Sure, he and his wife were in good health then, but he had no sons, only daughters. Daughters, however, would not be able to continue the bloodline, and the family name would have been lost to history. Oh how much Jayn Organa would have liked to see that happen. But history took a different turn as Ylio was born, a son to safeguard the Chron legacy, which in turn of course, was quite the disappointment in Jayn Organa's eyes. But Jayn could not prevent that little Ylio grew up, enjoying the riches of his family, hardly ever leaving the grounds of his home. Ylo preferred it that way; he and his wife feared the day that their son would leave the premises into the village. If some sort of danger would befall him, it would devastate them and the family. After a time though, it seemed those fears were ungrounded, because Ylio would leave the safety of the gardens from time to time after his tenth birthday, to scurry through the streets of the village and even play with the farmer children. Of course, he would only be able to play with the youngest children during harvest, because the other children would work on the fields with their parents. Ylo had tried to change that in the past, he tried to abolish all kinds of child labor, but parents and children alike refused to give in. They enjoyed working on the fields, they enjoyed it more than receiving education, or playing with other children.

The morning was like every other morning, Ylo would wake up, get dressed, order his servants to serve breakfast and wake the rest of his family, after which he would prepare himself for another day of work. Looking out of the windows of his office, he saw the farmers leave their homes, along with their children who had the proper age, to go to the fields as it was time to harvest the crops. It wouldn't be long, soon Ylo would have to check up on the farmers and their granaries. It was his task after all, to be up to date on how much food the farmers would have in stock. But the farmers weren't the only ones to leave their homes, so it seemed, as Ylo was alerted by the movement of an opening gate; to be precise, the gate to his house. From his office, Ylo saw his son running for the gate as the gap between gate and wall grew, eventually disappearing behind the walls as he ran through. Having grown used to this ritual, Ylo couldn't suppress a smile as he left the office, to enjoy his breakfast.

Ylio had wandered off, leaving the borders of the village behind him. He had done so before, multiple times actually, to a little creek, flowing as far as the eye could see. The cold water splashed against a few rocks in the middle of the stream, little froglike creatures jumped around, while Ylio tried to catch them. He had to do something to keep himself entertained after all, apart from what other boys his age would do, but that he wouldn't do out in the open. The harvest season had grown boring, because all the other children would work on the fields, leaving him alone. No guys or girls to chat with, no one in the streets to prank. He wondered how his father had survived for so long, through so many harvest seasons, without siblings, without friends. Siblings, something he had, but his father never had. Not that his siblings could entertain him at the moment, his four sisters had married with men from other noble houses. Besides, they were far too old to understand him, Ylio viewed them as if they were four extra mothers. He threw himself on his back, his head resting on the fresh grass, which were still a bit moist, even though the sun would set soon. He looked at the sky, wondering what wonders would lie beyond that sea of blue. His father told him a bit about Coruscant, where, from most places, the sky wouldn't even be able to be seen. But Alderaan was all Ylio knew, and from what he knew a great desire to see what was beyond Alderaan for himself grew within him. The simple life of living in the fields, watching the farmers come and go, just wasn't something that appealed him. But his father would never allow him to leave, he would start blabbering about family duty, legacy and all that, as if legacy and duty were things that interested Ylio. He hardly understood what his father meant with it, and that was proof enough that it was of little importance, at least, to Ylio. And there was something about the Organas, but Ylio couldn't fathom why the Organas had anything to do with him, or him going somewhere that was not Alderaan. He had tried asking for an explanation, but all his father would do was to direct him to the library, pressing him to read up on the history between House Organa and House Chron. Ylio knew the tale, by heart even, but still, he had no idea why the near full-blown feud between the two houses would impact him, centuries after the event. House Organa had no dealing with House Chron, House Chron had no dealings with House Organa, so why did the history between the two houses prevent him from travelling to other planets, to live life to the fullest? It had posed problems before as well, because his parents, his mother mostly, used it as an argument to keep Ylio in the confinements of the gardens. As if something horrible would happen if he were to tread outside, into the village. After a lot of nagging and whining, Ylio had won his father over, allowing him to explore the village and play there. The gardens were just too boring, but he found out that the village, and even the surroundings of the village, were no difference. Too soon, the village grew boring, and the boredom would reach a climax during the harvest season, since the only thing interesting about the village, the other children, would be out of grasp.

He heaved a sigh, playing with the grass, plucking it out of the muddy soil and throwing it into the air, watching it flutter around. He closed his eyes, imagining far away worlds, life-forms that would never be able to exists outside of his imagination, and adventures he would experience were he to leave Alderaan. The planets, life-forms and people he would meet had no names, everything he encountered had no identity, but the picture of it all was enough for Ylio, enough to make him yearn even more to live what he imagined, to encounter what he could only dream about.

A soft hum took Ylio back to reality. He opened his eyes and looked around, bewildered, as it was a sound he'd never heard before. High up in the sky, he saw a small spacecraft coming towards him. Or so it seemed, in fact, the spacecraft set out to land at the eastern end of the village, where the landing platform was, but Ylio didn't realize that. He had never dealt with spacecraft, even though his father had made use of spaceships in the past. To be fair, his father hadn't left Alderaan ever since Ylio was born, and there was no reason for the farmers to own a spaceship, let alone use it, nor was there a reason for a dignitary to visit Mytoro.

As the spaceship passed overhead, Ylio jumped up to chase the flying marvel. In his head, in his imagination, the piece of flying technology was being incorporated, as the main means of transportation. Even though the ship had a name in reality, though it couldn't be read from the distance it was, the ship remained nameless in Ylio's head. Names didn't matter to him, the faces, the outlines, the picture, that was what mattered. He never had run so fast as he did that day, speeding through the fields, over hills, towards the village, where he saw the spaceship land. As he got closer, the name of the ship became more readable.

" _JMC-VA01."_

He nearly slipped as he turned around a corner, into one of the many alleyways of the village, but with effort, he remained on his feet, still running at high speed. However, it had distracted him thusly, that he failed to notice the man in the middle of the alleyway, bumping into him with so much force that he was flung backwards, almost out of the alleyway. Dazed, and rubbing his sore behind, teeth clenched and narrowing his eyelids , Ylio tried to suppress the pain he felt, but more importantly, tried to suppress the tears that were starting to well up in his eyes. Tears of shock, not of pain, he had been in pain before, worse pain, but he had never been shocked like this. He tried to apologize, but further than a half-cried out "sorry", he couldn't get.

The man, who's silhouette Ylio could only see due to the darkness of the alley, huffed, grumbled, and rubbed his belly, into which Ylio had bumped; surprisingly, the man was still on his feet.

"You are excused, _kid_ , though I would very much appreciate it if you'd avoid bumping into me another time."

"O-of course sir," Ylio answered, making a few fast-paced nodding motions, before jumping to his feet. He paced past the man, avoiding every sort of contact, feeling his jaws heat up in shame. As he was about to leave the alleyway to see the spaceship he'd been chasing, the man turned towards him, calling after him:

"Wait a minute kid!"

Ylio stopped in his tracks, feeling slightly frightened, as he expected some sort of punishment for what he did.

"Do you know who is in charge of this village?"

Ylio heaved a sigh of relief, turning around, still slightly fearful, hesitantly telling the man that he knew exactly who was in charge, leaving out that it was his father who the man was searching.

"Could you bring me to him?"

Ylio nodded, again hesitantly. He gestured the man to follow him, which the man did, as Ylio turned around the corner once, twice, and another time, onto the main street of the village, towards the manor that was his home. He was silent, as was the man, though Ylio had the idea that the man was watching him, his every movement, as if he wanted something off him. He tried to shake it off, leading the man through the gate, into the garden, towards the doors to Ylo's office. It seemed that the latter had noticed, as the doors opened before Ylio and the man had gotten to it. Ylo approached the two, being on his guard as if he was expecting some sort of danger.

"Who is this man, son?"

The question sparked something in the eyes of the man, Ylio noticed. It wasn't anger, nor disappointment, nor recognition, but more something that could be described as realization. Ylio however, interpreted it as anger, taking a step away from the man, and slightly towards his father.

"This man wished to speak with you, dad," Ylio answered in honesty, affirming the relation between him and his father to the man, again, feeling a bit ashamed . He didn't get why he felt that way, as if it was a bad thing that he kept the fact behind that he was the son of the village's supervisor. The man hadn't asked after all…

"Is this true?" Ylo inquired.

"Very much so."

The man's words were articulated and stretched, casting a mysterious sauce over those simple words. A chill went through Ylio's spine, who, without another apology or even a simple "goodbye", ran into the manor, leaving the man and his father.


	4. Pressured

"So… may I ask you your name?" Ylo inquired, leading the man his son had brought to him into his office.

"Roh Vagos," the man answered, reaching into his pockets, to take out a portable device. "I might have something you'd like to see," he said, handing the device over.

Without question, Ylo took the device, linked it to his digital interface and scanned through the file the device was meant to transfer. As he progressed through the file, his eyes grew bigger, eyebrows raised, disbelief and fear noticeable in his eyes.

"Is this true?"

"I fear it is, Mister Chron. You are lucky I could intercept this message and link it to you."

"When did you…?"

"Only a day ago, which means there is still time to take action. If you are ready to do so, that is."

"Yes, well…" Ylo fell silent, thinking about what step he should take. "I wonder though," he muttered, "why did you come to me with this? You don't know me, and I don't know you. What is in it for you? What does this situation have to do with you that you involve yourself in it?"

"I think it would be best for you not to know, Mister Chron, but let's say that our interests are aligned."

Ylo stared at the man, who had revealed himself to be Roh Vagos, eyes met, Ylo tried to get as much information about Vagos' intention through the look in his eyes, but there was nothing he could extract from the man's gaze. It was empty, cold, and piercing at the same time, as if the businessman was looking into his very soul. The man's gaze was unlike his appearance, which was inviting, warm, professional. He sighed, not knowing what to do about the situation. Everything he, and all his forefathers had worked for, seem to go waste, if the information he had gotten from Vagos was correct.

"It looks like you don't know what to do," Vagos noted, grinning slightly.

"Well, there's hardly anything I can do now, is there? I've got little to no contacts, because my family has lived in isolation for so long. The only resources I have is food, which is of little value at the moment, since Coruscant is well stocked. That means I haven't got any leverage on the higher-ups there, nor any money from sales, aside of the credit I have on the bank…"

"No money, no contacts… you're in a nasty situation indeed… but the situation is far from hopeless. Wherever there is time, there are options, and even when it seems there is no time at all, a choice can still be made."

"But that means there are options to choose from, which means there are people that offer options to me…" He was silent for a while, scanning Vagos intently. "Unless you are trying to say you have an option for me to choose from…?"

"Good to hear you've finally caught on," Vagos said, forcing a barky laugh out of his throat. He wasn't joined in laughter by Ylo, who was waiting for Vagos' offer. It took a while for Vagos to calm down, but after he recomposed himself, he turned more solemn and stated his offer. "This is a one-time offer, Mister Chron, and I advise you to take it into consideration. I offer to adopt your son, and raise him as my own, educating him in my profession, whilst keeping him out of the reach of those who wish to take him away from you."

"Adopt my son?! Are you mad?"

"I'm offering you a way out Mister Chron," Vagos said, raising from the seat he'd been sitting in for the past few minutes. "I'd suggest you think about it." He walked towards the door, quite flexibly for his age. As he walked through the door, he looked over his shoulder, saying: "I'll be waiting in my spaceship till midnight. If your son isn't on board till then, I will take it that you've declined the offer."

He walked away, shouting loudly: "Make the right decision Mister Chron! You won't get an offer like this ever again!"

Ylo got up, closed the doors, feeling to be at a loss. He rested his head against the glass doors, sighing heavily. He got back to his desk, set down, resting his elbows on the desk hand his head on one hand, whilst holding the other hand above the intercom button. After a few seconds of hesitation, he finally pushed the button, requesting his wife and son to the office, as soon as they could. He then waited, figuring out how he was going to tell his wife and son, all that he was told by Vagos.

It took only a few minutes for his wife to show up, hurrying into his office, their son in tow. Both looked distressed, Ylio more than his mother, since he must have been suspecting it had something to do with the man he had run into. Ylo got up from behind his desk, leading his family through another set of doors into the garden where he knew he would have privacy, since it was forbidden for servants to enter that part of the garden.

He sat them down in that far corner of the garden and sat down near them, facing his wife and son. They sat there, silently, wife and son waiting for the father to say something, while the father gathered the courage he needed to tell what he needed to tell. But somehow, he couldn't get it over his lips, forcing his wife to get him to talk.

"Well, what is it?" she asked. "I take it you didn't scare us like this just to sit down here and be quiet for a few minutes…"

"Darling, I don't know how I have to say this…"

"Just say it as it is and be done with it," she rebuked, tapping her feet on the ground in a fast rhythm.

"A man came by, a few minutes ago, with distressing news," Ylo said. "It seems that our 'good' friend Jayn Organa came up with a scheme to cross our family for a final time. Yesterday, he sent out a message to Coruscant, informing a few people there of a secret we have tried to keep for such a long time."

"They know?" Mela, Ylo's wife, asked.

"They know."

Ylio knew exactly what his parents were talking about, since it involved him. To be more precise, he was the secret. Sure, House Organa knew of his existence, that wasn't the secret. What he could do, however, that was the secret. Ever since he was born, Ylio had showcased a certain aptitude for using the force. In effect, Ylo and Mela had his blood tested. The result, an extraordinary amount of midi-chlorians in his blood. Ylio, the hope of House Chron, was Force Sensitive, and quite the one too. His midi-chlorian count went over 15,000 a cell. And "they", Ylio also know who "they" were. The Jedi Order.

Now, in general, the Jedi Order would leave those be, who didn't wish to receive training, as it was a choice made out of free will. But the Organas had a lot of influence in the Jedi Council, even though Jedi should not be mixed up with politics. So, if Jayn Organa would press the Jedi Council to take him in as an apprentice, it would most likely happen. As his father always said, the Chron family had little to no influence outside of Mytoro, so it would be unlikely that his father would be able to do something about the entire ordeal, if it were to happen.

"Somehow, Jayn Organa figured out our secret," Ylo said. "Someone informed him –and I wil find out who, and he has sent the information to the Jedi Council, with a pressing note to take Ylio as an apprentice."

"I can't believe that after centuries, they still…"

"They want back what was given to us, Mela, but they can only get it back if we are unable to provide an heir. The Jedi aren't allowed to keep property, or marry, or to have children, which means that if they take Ylio away, not only will we lose our son, our family will also cease to exist."

"But dad, if they know already…" Ylio said, speaking for the first time after hearing everything.

"They will be here soon," Mela realized, knowingly finishing her son's sentence. "What will you do? We have nothing to avert this… Organa has too much influence and credits, and we have far too little."

"We ah… I did get an offer," Ylo answered. "Though, it will involve making a great sacrifice… and to be frank, I have a bad feeling about the offer, and more precisely, about the person making the offer."

"But it is a way out?" Mela asked. In response, her husband nodded.

"Then do it," she said, standing up and pacing away. "I don't want to hear anything more about it, just do it."

"You should listen to mum," Ylio said as Mela had disappeared out of sight.

"I don't think you're… It will…"

"Just tell me what I need to do," Ylio interrupted.

"You would need to spend a long time from home, a long time away from your mother and I."

"But I won't be…?"

"You won't."

"Then do it dad," Ylio said, more enthusiastic than sad, since it would mean that he finally was to leave Mytoro, and maybe even Alderaan. He was excited, and though his excitement upset his father, Ylio couldn't care less. He could only see adventure, even though he would have to miss his father and mother.

Ylo sighed. His wife and son were willing to do what, he had to admit that, needed to be done. He, however, wasn't. Even though he didn't want it to happen, he chose to tell Ylio Vagos' plan. He wouldn't do more than that, he couldn't take that final step, taking his son to Roh Vagos, sealing the deal. He couldn't let his son go, because he knew that there was a big chance he would never see him again.

"One final thing Ylio," Ylo said to his son. "I must give you something, something very important."

He took his son back to his office, where he took a small digital reader out of a drawer and handed it over to his son.

"This reader will be the evidence that you are our son, the heir to the Chron legacy. You must always keep it close to you, and never lose sight of it. If someone else were to get his hands on this, he could use it to become the new heir to everything we own. Do you understand?"

"Yeah dad, I'm not stupid you know…"

"Oh, I know you aren't. You're a brave lad, probably braver than I am or will ever be. Now hurry off to bed, alright?"

"Aren't you going to bring me to Mister Vagos?" Ylio asked.

"No son… I just can't… Now off with you, I… I don't want to hear anything about it anymore."

That night, Ylo and Mela woke up to the sound of the gate opening. Ylo jumped out of his bed and hurried to the nearest window providing view on the gate. In the distance, he saw a boy running into the village, a small sack on his back, towards the spaceship of Roh Vagos. He bit his lips, knowing that his son had taken the step he was not willing to make, based on prejudice of a man who offered him the way out of a nasty situation, preventing the downfall of the Chron family. A great emptiness overtook him and Ylo stumbled back to his bed. His wife didn't even ask, she knew.


	5. Identity

No questions were asked as Ylio entered the spaceship, he only got a short nod from the man he had bumped into that day. How things can change in a few hours… He had been lying in the dirt, close to crying, now he was going to live the dream, leaving Alderaan, even though it was with a man he didn't necessarily trust, or someone he knew. For a moment, Ylio thought of turning around, going back to home and face what would come at him, but he didn't. The thought of leaving the chance to explore the galaxy, to leave Alderaan, was too much for him to bear. He wanted to see what was beyond the borders of Mytoro, beyond the skies of Alderaan, even beyond the Alderaan sector. He wanted to see the other Core Worlds, the Colonies, even go to the Outer Rim. Of course, this wasn't up to him for now, the man, who he now knew as Roh Vagos, would decide where they'd go.

He placed his bag with the few belongings he had taken with him on one of the seats and sat on another. Roh Vagos' spaceship wasn't sizeable, it was rather small and only had a bit of walking space and three seats, aside from all the controls needed to fly the thing. The seats were actually comfortable, against Ylio's expectations. The spaceship wasn't particularly expressing comfort, rather stuffiness, so the seats were quite the surprise. As the entry ramp closed, paired with some frightening creaking sounds, as if some parts of the ship were rusted.

"That will need some oil when we get back…" Roh mumbled.

"Wha…?"

"Nothing," Roh, who still hadn't properly introduced himself to Ylio, muttered. All Roh said to Ylio were short sentences, dripping with either sarcasm, disinterest or plain annoyance. It was like he was doing his best to make Ylio feel uncomfortable, without saying things that would cause discomfort, which had effect on Ylio. "Don't worry about it. Be quiet, sit still and try to sleep. We will…" He broke off mid-phrase, fumbling with the controls of his spacecraft a bit.

"We will arrive at our destination in a bit more than a day," he finally said.

Ylio dared, though he hesitated, after a long silence, to ask the stranger where they were headed. By the time Ylio asked, Roh had nearly prepared for takeoff. The only thing that had kept him from taking off already so far, was the exact point Ylio addressed. Roh had to admit, he hadn't given it much thought. As with everything, Roh had counted on the Force to guide him, as it has brought him so far, Roh thought it best to take the same approach on where they would set off to. It was taking a while, but nothing had dawned on him.

"Just…" Roh sighed, before curtly continuing, "just wait…"

And so Ylio did, for what seemed to be a long time. He intently watched Roh, who stood unmoving, though he periodically tapped his finger on the armrest of his chair, on which he leaned. The man was quite tall, at least, from Ylio's perspective, towering far over the chair. For a short moment, Ylio found himself thinking back at the moment the man had towered over him back in the village. He remembered how he felt, intimidated, scared. It occurred to Ylio that he hadn't even seen the man's face in its entirety. He had seen the man's mouth, his grins and broad smiles, but not much more. Somehow, his eyes were always covered in a shadow.

"What is your name?"

"Excuse me…?" Roh grumbled. Ylio had taken him out of his concentration, just as something was dawning on him. He felt the urge to lash out at Ylio, but, restraining himself, he did not. He realized something he had never thought of before. For such a long time, he had been in solitude, rarely receiving visitors, apart from family and close friends before their deaths, now he had to adjust to having someone around him, for almost every hour a day.

"Your name…" Ylio repeated, "what is your name?"

"Ah yes, my name," Roh mumbled.

It was like someone turned a switch in the man. As distant and aloof he was at first, as gallant and expressive he was now.

"Where were my manners," he said, spinning around on his heel. His black cloak swirled around in the air as he turned around, adding grace to the spinning motion. "My name is Roh Vagos," he said, bowing at Ylio, "representative and longtime employee of the Jonex Mine Corporation. And you, I happen to know, are Ylio Chron, the son of Ylo Chron of Alderaan. Now, knowing that isn't such a feat, since I've spoken to your father, about your family, but more importantly… about you. That is, as you should know, the very reason why you are here."

"My father said you would keep me safe."

"That is only partially true," Roh said, "as I've never ensured your safety to your father. I would be lying too, if I were to say that you would be entirely safe for as long as you live with me, for we shall find ourselves in many dangerous situations. But I will keep to the promise I did make to your father. I promised him to keep you out of the hands of the Jedi, and so I will."

"Why?"

"Why? Why would you ask that question? Is it important for you to know? I think not, young Ylio. Right now, the only thing of importance to you is getting away from this planet as soon as possible."

"Yes, but… I would really like to know why you'd help me. It just doesn't make a lot of sense… I mean, you're a stranger… I've never seen you before, and my father doesn't know you… You don't look like you're from Alderaan and…"

"Calm down young one," Roh said, soothing the boy in front of him by placing the palm of his hand on Ylio's mouth. "Once you're ready, all will be revealed for you. Now, let's get away from here, in a few hours, this place will be more dangerous for you than Cor… of course!"

"Huh?"

"Nothing young one, just remain seated. We will take off in a minute."

Roh hurried to his own chair, Ylio remained seated, doing as he was asked to do by Roh. Roh turned, as he now was seated down, a few switches. A rumbling noise emerged from the back of the spaceship, the ship trembled and within a few seconds, the engines ignited. The vertical thrusters heated up, and, sure enough, exactly one minute after Roh sat down in his chair, the ship took off, slowly leaving the atmosphere.

Ylio looked out of the window near to his seat, enchanted by the view he had. He first saw his house, and the rest of the village, shrinking down below, slowly disappearing into the fields surrounding it. As the ship passed through the clouds, Ylio lost sight of his village and started spotting new marvels. The clouds, as they were being passed through, and shortly afterwards, the starlit darkness of space, as it was being entered.

"We are in space now young one, you can walk around if you feel the need."

Ylio nodded, which proved to be futile as Roh couldn't even see him from where he sat. He jumped from his chair and hurried to the back of the spaceship from where, through the farthest window, Ylio could shed a final glance on the planet he had never left. From the distance, it looked as serene as it was on the surface. Again, this view was all new to Ylio, but curiosity and marvel had made place for mixed feelings. Already, he longed to be back in his own bed, to walk the hallways of his home, to run through the fields near his village. But all that was now behind him. He would have to face this new chapter in the story of his life, he knew that, but it was no consolation to how he felt. He didn't feel miserable, he was far too excited to feel miserable, but apart from his excitement, he didn't feel exactly great. Up until the moment the ship left the atmosphere, the excitement had been enough to mask Ylio's doubt, and fear.

Slowly, but surely, Alderaan shrunk in the distance, until suddenly, bluish-white light engulfed the spaceship, and the planet disappeared from sight.

"We have made the jump to hyperspace," Roh explained, walking up to Ylio, sensing the youngling's confusion. "We are now traveling faster than light itself."

"Oh…"

"You are troubled?" It was more a statement than a question really, Roh felt the turmoil within the boys mind. He got no response, Ylio only stared out of the window at… at nothing in particular.

"Do not let sorrow overtake you, young one. The Force willed this to happen, and so it did. There was nothing that could have prevented it, thus, dwelling in the past is of no use."

"But I… I miss them already."

"And you will likely miss them for many years to come. But all of that is to make you stronger, young Ylio. I will teach you to harness your feelings, so they might protect you, whilst they first acted to overtake you."

"I don't understand…"

"You will," Roh said, adding, "in time…" His caring demeanor changed as his lips curled into a smirk. "With proper training, of course, both mental and physical."

"Training? My father never…"

"Your father? A thing of the past, do not dwell on it anymore. Everything he told you, every promise you made, all of them are meaningless now."

"Don't be taken aback," he added, sensing Ylio's growing anxiety, "it is all for the best, you know it to be true… don't you?"

Ylio thought, Roh waited patiently, suppressing another smirk as he noticed that Ylio did his best to avoid having eye-contact. He did not answer.

"I will take your silence as a yes." He turned away from Ylio and walked back to his chair, watching Ylio over his shoulder. The boy did not move, he seemed to still be considering Roh's question, even though Roh had already claimed an answer.

"Store away your feelings for now Ylio, they are in the way at the moment…"

Ylio heard Roh's words, but payed little heed to them. He was right, of course, but it wasn't as easy as he painted it to be. It is not that he wanted to keep feeling the way he felt, it seemed like Roh thought he did. Quite the contrary, he just didn't know how to put his feelings out of the way, the way Roh told him to.

"Why don't you come back here?" Roh asked from the spaceship's cockpit; a suggestion, more than a question. It seemed most of his questions were actually quite the opposite.

Ylio slowly walked back to where he came from, his seat in the cockpit. He sighed, hoping that this wouldn't become an everyday affair, missing his family that is. In a strange way, Roh's words had actually been comforting, even though he hadn't given his words the attention they deserved. But at the same time, Roh's words had been cold, harsh if you will, as if they hadn't been intended as comfort. Ylio shook that thought off, there was no way that it was Roh's intention to meet his sadness with harsh responses, only to further hurt him. What good would that do? Rather, what good would that be to Roh?

"It wouldn't make sense at all…" Ylio whispered to himself.

"What wouldn't make sense?"

"Nothing Roh… I mean, sir, I mean…"

"For now, 'sir' will do," Roh said.

Ylio nodded. "So… where are we going sir?"

"Remember that we are hiding from the Jedi, that means there is only one planet can go to."

"I read that, if people want to disappear, they should go to Nar Shaddaa."

"You have read correctly, but theoretical knowledge is not always useful when brought into practice… The Jedi will expect us to go to Nar Shaddaa. They would follow us, and imprison us there. No, like I said, there is only one planet we can go to, one planet where we will be safe. The planet where they will least expect us."

"Are you suggesting we're going to Coruscant?"

"Indeed young one, Coruscant."

"And one more thing," Roh said. "From now on, Ylio is gone. You are Greh. Greh Vagos."


	6. Transferral

It hadn't been a great night. The spacecraft wasn't the most stable ship in the galaxy, Ylio had found out, nor was it the most quiet. Besides the neverending shaking of the ship as it traveled through hyperspace, the engines of the ship produced a loud humming sound, and, if that wasn't bad enough, the door to the cockpit couldn't fully close. With the slightest tilt of the ship, that door would slide open or shut, creaking as it moved. All in all, not too great a situation for a boy to sleep in.

He had given up sleeping still being awake after two hours. It was terrible. He couldn't move, he was afraid of waking Roh, who was sound asleep. Ylio wondered how Roh could sleep in this noise.

 _"Probably used to it..."_

He then glanced at the ceiling, sighed and thought of what was ahead of him. Coruscant, a place he had heard about, a place he had read about; soon, it would be a place he'd see. It was exciting, though terrifying all the same. Coruscant was home to the jedi, who, according to Roh himself, were searching for him. Roh's plan was risky and made little sense to Ylio, but then again, he knew more about the galaxy. Practical knowledge that is, theoretical knowledge... maybe... Ylio had read much about the galaxy after all, what else was there to do, back home.

 _"Home..."_

Back home, he used to have a pet bird, named for the patriarch of the family, Yrus. Yrus was kept in a small, white cage. It was a beautiful blue bird, and Ylio had loved it. But as he grew up, Ylio noticed that the bird was unhappy in its cage. One day, he took the bird out of the cage, brought him to the garden and allowed it to fly away. He never saw him again.

Home had been a cage for Ylio. Now he was set free, flying a way, probably never to be seen again by those who held him in a cage. Never to see his parents again...

If only Ylio knew what happened to Yrus. The poor bird couldn't survive in the wild. Had it not been attacked and eaten by a cat, it would've starved eventually. Then again, Yrus had no Roh to watch over him.

"Awake already?" Roh asked. "Or must I say, still?"

"I didn't sleep."

"You will get used to the sounds," Roh said. "It took me a while as well."

A warm smile met Ylio's eyes as he turned towards Roh. For the first time he could see Roh's face. It was as if he was looking at his grandfather. Soft eyes, a wrinkled face, white hair on an ever balding head. The colour of Roh's eyes was peculiar though, unnatural even, but kind all the same.

Roh stood up from the chair he had slept on and walked up to the main controls of the ship.

"We're nearly there, young one," Roh said as he looked up their position on the galaxy map. The JMC-VA01 was old, rusty and plain uncomfortable, but it could get one from A to B in a reasonable timeframe.

Ylio paid little attention to his benefactor, his mind was back home again. It would nearly be the end of the afternoon there. It was just one day ago that Ylio bumped into Roh, now, he was accompanying the man to Coruscant. Hardly a thing a sane person would do, that is true, but the situation was dire, was it not?

"Mister Vagos," Ylio said. The man turned towards him, leaning against the back of the pilot's chair.

"Yes?"

"Why Coruscant?"

"I told you why, young Greh."

Greh... that was his name now. It was unsettling not to be called by his own name, but this would be reality from now on. Like Roh had said some time ago, Ylio had to go, in order to be safe. Greh wouldn't just be a mask, a mask is too easy to take off. No, Greh would be a new identity, a new skin.

"Yes, yes. Jedi won't expect it... but that can't be the only reason."

"How so?"

"Well... the Jedi expect us to go to Nar Shaddaa... right?"

"Indeed."

"So, going to any planet but Nar Shaddaa would be doing what the Jedi don't expect... so there must be another reason to go to Coruscant specifically."

"But, Coruscant has the highest concentration of Jedi on its surface, making it the last place they would look for... 'fugitives' there... However, you are right to be suspicious. There is more to my decision to go Coruscant than I have told you."

"I knew it!"

"Yes, yes, impressive... for a youngster like yourself... But may I ask you something now?"

"Sure..."

"Why did you choose to come with me?"

"I had no choice..."

"Oh but you had a choice. You could've chosen to stay and take your chances, or to hide on your homeplanet, closer to your parents. Or you could've chosen to accept your fate, to become a Jedi, to serve in the Order. So tell me, why did you choose to come with me?"

Ylio didn't answer immediatly, and pretended to come up with an answer. The truth he already knew, but he hoped that the old man would drop his question and move on. He, however, did not. He waited, patiently.

"I want to be free," he said eventually. "And with you, I'm as free as I can be. In the Order, I wouldn't be free... Hiding on Alderaan, I wouldn't be free, since people would be searching for me there. Besides, my family is known and hated by some... I wouldn't be able to show my face outside... but with you, with you I'll be able to see places I've never seen before. You're taking me to Coruscant of all places, a place I've only visited in my dreams."

"Such honesty," Roh noted, "I did not expect that."

Roh sat down on the pilot's chair and turned away.

"I understand your reason," he said, "and you were right to come with me. I can offer you freedom without boundaries. Everything that holds you back, all the chains that bind you... I can teach you to break them, to be free..."

"If you let me, of course..." he added.

"But... the Jedi are the only ones keeping me from being free... at the moment."

"That is what you think, but you know so little young Greh. Don't worry though, once I've started teaching you, you will see... you will see all the things, all the people who hold you back... and how to be free from all of them. When you know, there will be no place you can't go, no longer will you have to fear anyone, since there won't be anyone who could imprison you, or make you do something, or have you go somewhere without you wanting to do so. You will be the master of your future."

"I thought you'd only keep me away from the Jedi, but you're able to teach me to do that myself?"

"If you want me to, yes."

"Then teach me," Ylio said.

Roh smiled, Ylio could see that, even though the man had his back turned towards Ylio. He could see that the corner of Roh's mouth curled upwards, and that was enough of a clue. The reason for the smile, he did not know. It posed a new question for him, a new mystery to solve. What reason would Roh have to be happy? If it had to do with Yhim being willing to be trained, then why would Roh be so happy about that?

"Very well, young Greh," Roh said. "You will be taught. You will be taught in a great variety of subjects."

"All necessary for me to be free?"

"That, and for you to be able to survive on your own in the galaxy. You will need to be able to take up my mantle in the company after I won't be able to wear it myself anymore. The mining business... it's not the easiest business in the galaxy. One often ventures far into the Outer Rim, especially those who work for the JMC..."

"The JMC?"

"The Jonex Mine Corporation, the corporation I work for. You couldn't have known of course... But like I said, one will often venture into the Outer Rim, and, as you probably know, the Outer Rim is... dangerous."

He indeed knew that, not only from what he had read, but also from what he had heard from his father. It had always been father's first reaction to bring up the dangers of the galaxy whenever he voiced his dreams of travel. The Outer Rim would be brought up, and, father would tell stories about pirates, smugglers, crime lords and what not as to move him, Ylio, to give up on his dreams of travel. Now, if everything his father had told him was true, Ylio questioned, but, there must have been some truth to his stories.

Roh took Ylio's silence as a yes.

"So not only will I need to teach you how to properly manage a company, I willl also teach you how to defend yourself against all kinds of dangers..."

He observed Ylio, having turned towards him once again, trying to sense his feelings. The Force failed him, for the first time since... ever really. The Force had never failed him, not a single time since he discovered he was a Force-sensitive. But now, he couldn't get a read of the youngling in front of him. That was inconvenient, but an inconvenience he could overcome. It would have been better, safer if you will, for him to be able to sense the youngling, but going in dark would have to do. He was able enough to pull this off.

"...against the Jedi," he added slowly. He instantly regretted it.

Ylio looked up.

"But... why would I need to defend myself against the Jedi? Wouldn't hiding from them suffice?"

"The Jedi are... presistent and ah... skilled..." he responded, slowly choosing the right words to say. He couldn't afford another mistake. "I will be able to keep you away from them, and you might be able to stay hidden, in whatever way... but it would be for the best that, if the occassion arises that they find you, you will be able to fend them off."

"To be able to escape, of course," he quickly added.

"I guess it would," Ylio said. The confused look on his face made place for a smile. Roh had given him enough of an explanation.

"For now though," Roh said, "let's assume that in the end, teachings of that kind won't be necessary at all. After all, the Jedi are searching for Ylio Chron, not for Greh Vagos."

Ylio nodded.

Roh again turned his back towards Ylio and spoke not another word. Ylio didn't ask any other questions, instead, he sat back and allowed his thoughts to drift.

In his thoughts, he was back home, playing beneath a tree with his toy figurines. The figurines, depecting many heroes from the time of the Old Republic, had been in the family for a long time. Ylio played with them, as his father had before him, and his father before him, through the generations. When were they made? By who? Who bought them? Who exactly did they depict, and what did those people do as to earn the honor of being made into a figurine? Such questions hadn't been on Ylio's mind then, nor were they at his mind at the moment. The only questions on Ylio's mind were if he had done the right thing by leaving Alderaan, and, what the future had in store for him. Was his future life to be as heroic as the lives of all those depicted in his toy figurines, whatever that might mean? Or was he treading down quite an opposite path...?


End file.
